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Imaging Devices

Putting Good Sound First Krell Foundation Surround Processor (Part 3)

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The first movie I watched was the 3D edition of Life of Pi. It sounded as it looked: truly three-dimensional and not just due to the surround mix. Each channel’s delicate 3D sonic bubble, made up of individual 3D sonic elements, contributed to the floating sonic sensation. With all of these elements coherently merged in a single sonic bubble, the result was a giant, floating, shimmering, non-mechanical ether in the room approached but once before in my room by the even more minimalist Cary Audio 11a. The bubble’s borders extended well beyond all of the speakers’ physical boundaries, producing an enormous yet well-defined space, in which were placed solid yet three-dimensional images.

Description: http://cdn.avsforum.com/8/8c/8ceb92ed_small.jpeg

Krell Foundation owners thread

The Foundation lifted to exalted, billowy sonic heights Mychael Danna’s ethnically complex musical score filled with delicate, exotic Eastern percussive and wind accents as well as sweeping strings and familiar Franco-accordions. The Foundation maintained the clarity, dimensionality, and ease of even the most timbrally complex, dynamically challenging passages.

At one point, I chose to lie down on the couch. Despite the close proximity now to the left surround speaker, the room-filling 3D bubble maintained its integrity. I did not hear the left surround dominate, or in fact, the left surround at all. Instead, so three-dimensionally coherent and stable was the room bubble that the only change was a slight perspective shift.

The 192-kilohertz/24-bit Blu-ray Discs in Neil Young’s Archives Volume 1box set reinforced the Foundation’s high-performance audio bona fides. On “Heart of Gold,” Kenny Buttrey’s kick drum approached the size, weight, and textural solidity I get on my big two-channel high-end rig downstairs. Of equal importance, the kick drum didn’t intrude into the physical or timbral space reserved for other instruments. Tim Drummond’s bass never merged with the kick drum to produce incorrect, a musical “mega-bass.” Young’s harmonica had an effervescent reediness and his voice an airy believability. You can easily and separately hear Linda Ronstadt’s and James Taylor’s background vocals.

Description: Remote control Krell Foundation

Remote control Krell Foundation

On “Old Man,” the acoustic guitar’s metal strings ring, the snare on the left channel has that special live shimmer, and the echoey envelope surrounding the pedal steel floats in space. Young’s voice hovers believably.

Going back to my reference Marantz AV7005, good as it is for the money, produced a big let-down. Everything tamps downs spatially, harmonically, and texturally, airy reality quelled. What accounts for the Foundation’s sonic magic?

Technically, I cannot tell you, but I’m sure any person reading this could easily distinguish between the two renderings of these tracks or more critically, not fail to be swept away and mesmerized by the Foundation’s sonically transportive qualities. Even the cable difference deniers (often also pre/pro sonic difference deniers) could easily distinguish between the Foundation and all (not most) of the less expensive mainstream competition.

Conclusion

If a relatively small company like Krell can produce these seductive, startlingly superior sonic riches, surely the big companies with their technological savvy and greater financial resources can too. For now, though, much to Krell’s relief, they seem to not be interested, perhaps believing that consumers aren’t either.

Description: Krell Foundation Surround Processor

Krell Foundation Surround Processor

Yes, the Foundation’s user interface is clunky, and it doesn’t do much other than pass video and decode surround sound. You won’t get Pandora, Spotify, THX, and all of the other costly, licensed add-ons.

Do you want swell gadgets or melt-in-your-ears sonics? During my listen to the Mobile Fidelity SACD version of Billy Joel’s “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” on my high-end two-channel system downstairs, then brought it up to listen on the Krell. I got upstairs much of what I got downstairs. Unlike every other “commercial” name-brand preamp/processor that’s passed through here, the Krell Foundation made me want to sit and listen. And that’s what it’s all about.

Specifications

·         Price: $6,500

·         Auto Setup/Room EQ: Krell ARES

·         Video Processing: None (trans-codes composite and component video sources to HDMI)

·         Dimensions: 17.06 x 3.47 x 16.03in

·         Weight: 18pounds

·         Video Inputs: HDMI 1.4a (10), component video (3), composite video (2)

·         Audio Inputs: Coaxial digital (3), optical digital (3), stereo analog balanced XLR (1) stereo analog single-ended RCA (4)

·         Additional: USB (Mini for firmware updates, 1), Ethernet (1), IR remote (1), 12-volt trigger (1)

·         Video Outputs: HDMI 1.4a (2 w/ ARC)

·         Audio Outputs: 7.2-channel balanced XLR (1), 7.2-channel single-ended RCA (1) Zone 2 stereo (1)

·         Additional: RS-232 (1), RC-5 (1), 12-volt trigger (4)

Verdict

·         Krell’s aptly named, sonically sophisticated Foundation counters a foolish industry trend toward sacrificing sound quality for useless and/or redundant features.

Rating

·         Audio Performance: 5/5

·         Video Performance: 5/5

·         Features: 3/5

·         Ergonomics: 3/5

·         Value: 4/5

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